1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electric fans, and more particularly to a new and improved ceiling fan.
2. Prior Art
Ceiling fans have been used for many years for air circulation purposes in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. More recently, the use of such ceiling fans has become popular in mobile homes, particularly in the warmer climates, such as Florida. At the same time, the typical fan construction, wherein the rotating blades are arranged in tandem with the drive motor, creates a problem, because it takes up valuable head room which is at a premium in this type of structure.
Likewise, such installations present problems of facial removable attachment to the ceiling in close proximity thereto, while providing adequate space for air flow; adjustment of air flow amount and direction; together with suitable control of the operation, duration and speed of fan blade rotation, as well as safety measures providing for shutoff to prevent fan overheating, and for protection against injury while handling the fan during installation, removal, repair, replacement, adjustment and operation. While various attempts have been made in the prior art to solve one or more of these problems, such attempts have not been completely successful.
For example, it was quite popular a number of years ago to provide what is known as an electrolier (a combined ceiling fan and electric light fixture). A visit to any electrical store will reveal that such electroliers are becoming popular once again. However, their design is hardly such as to maximize headroom by minimizing over-all fan length, because usually they are designed for positioning over a table, such as in the dining room of a home, wherein headroom is not all that important.
The illustrative prior inventions endeavoring to reduce overall fan containing fixture length are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 585,250; 1,115,479 and 1,445,402. The '250 patent discloses an electrolier, wherein the large fan blades are mounted around the electric drive motor. However, the motor must be mounted on an elongated rod suspended from the ceiling, and the device includes below the unguarded fan blades a substantially axially elongated fixture for supporting a number of light bulbs. Likewise, in FIG. 3 of the patent, the lighting fixture is mounted above the unguarded fan blades, which are arranged in tandem with the drive motor, at the lower end of an elongated housing mounted on the depending ceiling rod. Obviously, this patent does not even contemplate the conservation of headroom.
The '479 patent also discloses an electrolier wherein a number of motors and unguarded fans arranged in tandem are mounted around a concave support attached to the ceiling, such support terminating in its lower end in a large light fixture. While this overall structure does not project to the same extent below the ceiling as the previous patented construction, it is of a rather bulky design and clearly does not maximize headroom.
In the '402 patent, the unprotected fan blades, which are mounted around the drive motor casing are designed to "disappear" by folding into the space between an upper casing depending from an elongated rod fixed to the ceiling and a lower fixture supporting a variety of light bulbs. Once again, this patented design is not concerned with maximizing headroom.
Additional prior art examples of electroliers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 866,292 and 2,119,398. The fan of the '292 patent is of skeletal global or spherical design, adapted to be secured to the usual rod suspended from the ceiling, and within such skeletal structure, the rotating fan blades are mounted above the drive motor. In addition, the skeletal structure is decorated externally by the addition of ornate light fixtures arranged both laterally and axially, as in FIG. 2 of the patent. Clearly, conservation of headroom is not suggested by this patent either. As for the '398 patent, the unguarded fan blades are located at the upper end of the motor casing, which depends from an elongated tubular support suitably secured to the ceiling, and arranged below the motor is a light fixture. Certainly this patent is not concerned with saving headroom either.
Of all the prior art patents referred to above, only the '479 patent discloses a mechanism for adjusting or controlling air flow direction. However, this mechanism is somewhat complicated in that speed reducers are required for revolving the fans around the depending light fixture. Moreover, none of the patented devices referred to above discloses the desirable features of facile removable attachment to a ceiling, in close proximity thereto; simple operation and/or adjustment of the fan itself for controlling and varying air flow direction; safety features such as shutdown to prevent overheating, and guards substantially completely protecting against manual contact with the rotating fan blades; as well as electrical control means for determining fan operation, duration, speed and cutoff, together with quantity and direction of air flow; especially in combination with fan structure of such compact design as to reduce its overall axial length or depth to the practical minimum, for maximizing headroom.